Have you ever wondered about all the time and hassle it takes to set up your lawnmower before you cut the grass? I used to use a very expensive Hayter mower which needed pretty much a full service before it would start each time. Even then you were in danger of dislocating your shoulder trying to start it with the cord!
Well there is an alternative and it’s called the Qualcast Panther mower.
This alternative is a cylinder hand mower which has a central cylinder with 4 cutting blades. These provide a 30cm cutting width which although is not huge is perfectly adequate for small to medium type lawns. So ok if you have a couple of acres of lawn to mow it’s not going to suit, but lets face it most of our lawns are much smaller than that,
Let’s have a look at some of the advantages – well for start it has very high geared wheels, this makes it extremely easy to push, You can literally pick the Qualcast Pather mower up in one hand and start mowing the lawn.
Although you have no engine or motor to supplement your effort it’s not actually that difficult to mow your lawn with the Qualcast Panther. I certainly find it much easier than the vast majority of Flymos especially when they have their grass boxes attached.
You change the height of the cut using a nut and bolt on the mower, it’s variable between 12 and 40mm in length. If you can see it also has a roller which gives a striping effect to the cut. The stripes are not too bad but don’t expect anything like a petrol cylinder lawn mower could produce.
So it’s easy to use, healthy for you giving a small workout. It’s also obviously the best option for the environment as the only power is being supplied by you. It actually makes mowing a little more relaxing as well mainly due to the relative peace and quiet.
The Qualcast Panther does have a grass collecting box of 20 liters although I have to say this is probably the weakest part of this mower. The box collects a lot of the grass but it does drop quite a lot as well, it also isn’t able to squash the cuttings together like some mowers like the Bosch Rotak 40 for instance – so you’ll have more visits to empty the collector.
Another thing worth considering is that this mower is actually very simple, there’s not very much on it to go wrong. I’ve had one for ten years and apart from looking after the blades it needs no real maintenance. There are very small drawbacks to this mower – it struggles with damp grass, the cut is not quite as good as many electric mowers (but I still think better than most Flymos!) and it doesn’t quite catch all the clippings. It’s also pretty cheap and is often on Amazon for between £30 and £40.
But as an environmentally friendly way to cut the grass and give yourself a bit of exercise then you won’t do much better than the Qualcast Panther Mower.
For those who are unsure about the whole green living concept, this may just clear it up. If you bring canvas bags with you when you shop, that means you’re living green. By just not letting the water running when it is time to brush your teeth, you’re following a green lifestyle. Taking your 4-wheel drive guzzler with super sized tires to the store for groceries, is certainly not going green. Going out and buying a new Toyota Prius for your daily vehicle is going green. By switching your old automobile over to an electric vehicle, that is living green. When you place solar panels on your roof, that is green living.
You need to understand that going green has lots of various levels to it, from the person who merely recycles shopping totes to the person who does everything totally green. When you resolve to start living green, there are actually lots of different things you can do. However, you should know that going green might put a burden on your budget. That is reason signing up for the Green Eco Club is a smart thing. The Green Eco Club is going to help you choose different ways of living green without burning a hole in your wallet.
By just living on Earth, you are in one of two groups, you are either one of the people making the problems or one of those trying to find solutions. If you are just a newcomer to green living, then a good place for you to start is with the Green Eco Club. The Green Eco Club will not merely instruct you how to save money when living a greener life but they can likewise educate you on all of the numerous benefits associated with going green. They offer you with a lot of different resources on everything you must know. And if you are one of those people who love extras, by signing up for the Green Eco Club, you will get all the extras below.
One of the incentives you will get when you sign up is the guide “Going Green Your Complete Guide”. Not to mention a terrific guide that will help you how to build your own solar panels. The DIY guide to Solar Heaters, you can construct your own solar heater for your hot water. The guide to “Solar Air Heating”, you will know how to heat the air in your house. You will also get the “DIY Home Energy Audits” which will show you how to do your own home energy inspection. You can learn how to make energy using your own wind turbine in the “Green DIY Energy Guide” Chicken DIY Guide, discover how to make a chicken coop. Interested to find out how to buy solar at a sizable price cut? You will discover that in the Solar Discount Secrets Guide. Not only are you going to learn how to make solar panels but you will find out how to set them up with the “Solar Installation” guide.
The Green Eco Club has a wealth of information on green living for just $27 every month. And with their 2-month money back guarantee, you’ve got nothing to lose and an entirely new way of life to attain. This is not simply for novices but also for the more seasoned green individual, along with a user friendly website. The tools and information that you will be able to access to is going to change your life forever.
And because this is a club, you will be able to meet other people who have the same goals as yourself. And as there are total beginners and also total pros as members, you are going to fit in irrespective of your level. And if you have any inquiries, there are more than enough members that are ready, happy and able to assist you. Let’s assume you are interested to have a solar panel system, you will be able to search for members who have already done the task. This point alone make this membership worth entirely mores than the membership fee.
Most of you probably recall when green living was a common practice in life. Now that people can purchase processed frozen foods, which they can make in their microwave, they have stopped eating organic foods. For people who can recall, nearly everyone grew some sort of garden or they shopped at the local farmer’s market. Back then processed food didn’t actually exist, now you need to check all the food labels cautiously. Gardening used to be a usual practice in everyone’s lives; this is how parents would feed their young ones and store the surplus foods for winter. “Waste not, want not” was a common phrase so what was not eaten was recycled into the garden.
Pesticides were not utilized on gardens, and manure was the basic plant food. A lot of people would divvy up the surplus food that their gardens produced with other community members. Of course, it was an time when people were familiar with the people in their communities and sharing with others was the usual custom. Nowadays we have things such as pesticides, weed killers and man-made chemical fertilizers which were unfamiliar previously. Now these chemicals are killing the planet by eliminating the vital nutrients that plants require to grow.
We will in all likelihood never realize how many of the health problems of today are caused by the chemicals found in the land and the lack of nutrients in the foods we eat. No one ever gives any thought to the health issues set off by these chemicals until they afflict someone in their family. Nevertheless, with the health problems affecting a lot of families at this point and time, most people are starting to be more mindful of the foods they consume. Studies have shown that veggies grown organically have more vitamins and minerals.
Today is a great time for you to think about going green, whether or not you have ever thought about it in the past. If you simply look at the health problems in the world nowadays, you may realize that it is time for a change. Now that common drugs no longer appear to be efficacious, it may be time to start trying some all-natural remedies. You could start by growing or getting organically grown foods. Living green with organic gardening can be a method to heal ourselves, and help mend our environment.
A few of the practical steps to organic gardening are working with nature to keep the soil healthy and the avoidance of all chemical substances. Organic plant foods that can be utilized are manure and the garden’s waste. The dead leaves, grass cuttings and kitchen leftovers will keep the soil full of necessary nutrients. By not using man-made fertilizers, you can be secure in the knowledge that you are not causing harm to wildlife or the health of your family. In addition, the food produced will be healthy for eating. Organic gardening is good for the environment by decreasing the contamination of the atmosphere and water supply.
When toxic pesticides are used, the area have to be avoided for a period of time. If the fumes shouldn’t be breathed in, how great can they be for the food? If you are growing your food without using chemicals, you need not worry about being in the garden with dangerous chemical substances. Gardeners who reside where the food is being grown have an incentive to employ the organic system, which is safety and personal health. You can grow very wholesome foods and help to stop pollution by using organic gardening methods.
A new company you likely have never heard of unless you are into serious green living is Harvest Power. Harvest Power is an organic waste management business that gathers green waste, scraps of food, leftover wood, and other organic waste products, changing them into syngas or biogas. Change into natural gas, heat and electrical energy are all possibilities. Harvest Power is paving the road and hopefully a lot more companies will follow, unlocking renewable energy and rendering organic fertiliser from what is ordinarily regarded as waste. The Earth can use a lot more of these businesses who will manage organic wastes in a responsible manner.
Among Harvest Power’s excepptional products is its compost product that can be added to the soil increase nutrients and organic material. Compost, added to growing mediums like soil, mainly raises the range and quantity of plant nutrients contained in the soil. Plant foods contain more health-giving properties if grown with organic compost rather than chemical substance fertilizers. Adding compost to your garden will give you a healthy garden, and the reason you would want that is because it will give you a healthier you. One more advantage of adding nutritious, organic compost to the soil is lowering the energy it takes for irrigation. Compost makes it possible for the plant roots to get longer, providing better water retention.
Utilizing compost as an alternative to chemical based fertilizers is healthier for all of us. It it makes it possible to prevent the environmental problems triggered by chemical fertilizers, such as increasing acidity of the soil, contaminating groundwater, and promoting the overabundance of nitrogen. Adding compost means a great deal of beneficial insects, worms and other organisms that activate the soil. Importantly, cropsoils can again have their natural balance when compost is added, offsetting the cumulative effects of the erosion of topsoil. If we wish to live in a sustainable manner, it’s important to have healthy soil.
Harvest Power is going after other environmentally friendly areas such as anaerobic digesters, engineered fuels and renewable energy. What anaerobic digestion does is decompose waste with naturally occurring organisms and convert it into biogas. The positives of this are the following: generating clean, renewable energy, diverting waste from landfills, rejuvenating healthy soil with compost, replacing chemical fertilizers, and creating eco friendly occupations. If only the environment was a concern of all business organizations and they adopted green strategies.
Not everyone can work for a green business, but there are a good deal of little things that all people can do. Most people were instructed at a young age to not waste food. Even with that, it is still a great problem to waste a lot of food. A Stockholm company has estimated that food wastage of a stunning 50% occurs between the production and consumption of food. In 2004 a study discovered that 10% to 15% of eatable food in the United States was disposed of, amounting to about $43 billion. It would be terrible enough if it was merely the food alone, but what about wasting water? Well, it was observed that water wastage in America of 40 trillion liters takes place each year. Five hundred thousand people (more or less 8% of the world’s population) could subsist on that. Virtually everyone could do things to avoid wasting water.
While some people may be born with green thumbs, the fact is, anyone can learn to garden. The key is providing the right conditions for your plants to do well. Just be aware of the specific needs of the plant you’re dealing with and you have the foundation for success. Lets go through an outline of what many gardeners might consider to be the basics of a thriving garden.
Flower gardens are popular with beginners because they look and smell nice. If you want to make the most of your flower garden start out with flowers from your region.
It’s important to factor the sunlight needs of flowers in your garden and plan your garden accordingly. Perennials are great because they keep flowering year after year at about the same time of the year. Annuals are flowers that must be planted new each and every growing season in order to bloom. But the most important factor to remember when picking your flowers is that you want flowers that reflect your lifestyle, property, and tastes.
Don’t forget to prepare for insects and pests that are likely to invade your garden area. No one wants to go through the painful process of losing a season to pests. Many people are reluctant to use some of the more potent pesticides for fear of harming the environment or risking the health of themselves and their families. But there are natural choices to consider. You can find some surprisingly effective pesticides that have mint, onion, or garlic as main ingredients. Salt is an excellent repellant for ants. Ants are easily repelled by regular old-fashioned table salt. There are many natural ingredient options to repel pests that pose little harm and are much less expensive than traditional pesticides.
If you have limited space, or the property you have is less than ideal for growing plants, your best option may be a container garden. All you need to get started are a few containers, seeds, and soil as well as a place to put the containers – indoors or out. You can purchase the soil and seeds at a nursery or online, and use any type of containers that you prefer. Effective containers for this purpose will have adequate drainage at the bottom. Container gardening works for a wide range of plants including vegetables, flowers, and herbs. In conclusion, you can get many rewards and benefits from gardening. It’s not only a chance to enjoy the great outdoors but can also provide an opportunity to grow your own vegetables and herbs. The more carefully you plan your garden, the more smoothly everything will go and the easier it will be to avoid difficulties. With the right attention, your garden can be a showplace you’ll be proud of.
You’d think it would be quite easy to find but I challenge you to find one in a DIY or hardware store – I’m talking about gardening hoes. I’d managed to survive 25 years of gardening without actually owning one, but I was speaking to a neighbor a few weeks ago and he mentioned it was one of his most useful tools.
However for me I wasn’t entirely sure what you would use a garden hoe for anyway. The hoe is actually one of man’s oldest tools which I think is one reason B&Q should be ashamed of not stocking them (well in my local branch anyway). There are quite a few different types but I was recommended to buy a digging hoe.
An Inexpensive Gardening Hoe – this is actually a Digging Hoe
You’ll find lots of uses for these – I find them especially good for moving shrubs and smaller trees. You can dig under the roots and lever them out with this sort of gardening hoe. I have got quite heavy, clay soil and moving any sort of shrub with decent roots can be a real pain with a fork or spade but this is just the right shape.
But the beauty behind this tool is that you’ll find loads of other uses. It can be used as a mini-plough to turn over earth, dig out your potatoes or indeed create the trench for planting them in the first place.
In fact you’ll probably even find some uses outside the garden, this little gardening hoe was also used to clear ice off a garden path with great success. Anyway enough of this – where did I actually find this useful tool – I bought this one from Amazon – the Silverline GT52 Digging Hoe
For under £10 you won’t find many bargains like this and as long as you don’t start getting carried away and attempting to dig out anything too big then it’s tough enough for a myriad of garden jobs. I was almost expecting it to be a little cheap feeling for that price but it really has a decent solid feel to the tool.
The largest held belief about gardening is that it is easy and doesn’t take a lot of work. While it is true that there is a lot of hard work involved in growing a garden, that work is usually very rewarding. Most gardeners say that working in a garden feels more like playing even if that work is weed pulling. Obviously the size and scope of your garden will dictate how much work you need to put into your garden. One thing is always the same: whether you’re growing a small indoor garden or a large yard sized garden, you are going to find the experience very rewarding.
Take some time to improve the quality of the dirt you want to use for your garden. No two patches of soil are the same. In fact, the dirt that is already in your yard is probably not the best for growing plants at all, which might be why you’ve had trouble growing a garden in the past. Different types of seeds have different nutrient needs.
Prepare the ground before you plant. The best way to prepare your garden soil is to spread organic matter over the top of it. To improve the quality of soil, compost is best but if used a few months ahead of time, grass clippings and mulch also work well. As the organics decompose they leave behind their nutrients and vitamins which helps your garden thrive.
The best way to loosen up your garden’s soil is to dig into it before you actually start the planting process. Make sure gardening conditions are right or digging could be a bad idea.
You want to dig when your soil is moist. It should be moist enough that you can form it into a ball with your hands when you dig it up from the ground. If the ground is too moist the ball will hold together when you drop it. Your best tool for this job is a spade or a spading fork that you can use to turn the soil and get the air moving through it.
Don’t purchase every tool in the garden shop just because they’re hanging there. Start with a few basics like a garden rake, a garden spade and a good hose and then build from there. Over time, as you work with your plants, you’ll figure out which tools you actually use regularly and which are only used for special projects. Resist the urge to buy all of the tools being upsold to you by the gardening clerk at the store. You might wind up tossing a bunch of money away on tools that you won’t ever use! Lots of grown men and women view gardening the same way little kids view playing outside. Many people insist that working in the garden is a fantastic way to work through most of the stress that they feel after the end of a long work day. Other people say that working in the garden is just a fun time for them. Even others garden because they want to say save money by growing their own food. There are all sorts of reasons for starting a garden. Just remember, even though you will have to work hard in your garden you will also get lots of joy from your garden.
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When you require work boots for large sizes, it’s possible you’ll have to take a look at more places than just your local shoe store or shopping mall. On the subject of shoes and boots, it’s imperative to look for something that fits suitable, are built well and also comfy to wear. There are some critical concerns you should be aware of if you’re trying to find work boots for large sizes, and we’ll be going over those below.
There are a variety of work boot styles for big sizes even some for more hazardous conditions that might require a steel toed boot. Steel toed boots provide the ultimate in protection for your feet especially in construction, machinery or heavy tool jobs where they may be a job requirement. If you don’t have the right protection for your feet they can be quite vulnerable, even the best steel toed boot can even be insufficient for some conditions. An injury to a foot can be quite painful not to mention disabling in some cases.
Online stores often carry the broadest selection of steel toed boots. If you are considering ordering online though you want to make sure they have a good return policy. One problem with buying shoes online is that you can’t try them on first. Some brands will offer a slightly different sizing scale. If you don’t have a good return policy this can cause problems if the boot you order doesn’t fit when it arrives. Of course, if you have a regular brand that you buy, and you simply replace them when they wear out, then you can be fairly safe as you know exactly what to order. It’s for this reason that you need a good return policy before you purchase.
The height of your boot is something you should consider when looking for new boots. Cowboy boots are often tall but work boots are available in a variety of boot heights. Many people prefer a taller boot when their legs and ankles need protection for whatever reason. Some people also like the look of tall boots. If you are a motorcycle connoisseur you may prefer a taller boot for more protection of the leg from the heat. However if you live in a warmer climate you might not want a taller boot because it will likely make your legs hotter. Something to keep in mind is your boot height even though the ultimate decision is up to you and your personal preferences. These are only a few of the many considerations you will make when shopping for large size work boots. You don’t want to replace them often so they not only need to be comfortable but also durable as well as adequate for the climate and work you need them for. In this article we’ve covered some of the most important factors to consider when shopping for work boots for big sizes. While you may be the brains of the operation your feet are the brawn; let them tell you what boot is the right one.
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A well manicured lawn is attractive to the eyes. It might sound silly, but it invariably cheers people up and makes our houses look much more pleasant and more importantly cared for. But unfortunately mowing a lawn can be a real pain especially an oddly shaped lawn. Fortunately some of the best lawnmowers on the market can make the job a lot easier that it used to be – the question is does the new flymo turbo compact 330 cut the mustard. I’m not a big fan of hover mowers but to be honest it’s been a while since I tried one.
Click for Best Price on Flymo Turbo Compact 330
The Flymo Turbo Compact 330 Grass Collecting Electric Hover Lawn Mower (phew that’s mouthful) has a 33 cm metal blade powered by 1500 Watt motor which should be more than adequately powered for most gardens.
With a fairly large grass collection bin which can accommodate 30 liters of grass, it does minimize the main time consuming part of mowing the lawn which is emptying the grass every five minutes. To be fair the Flymo stored a decent amount of grass although it doesn’t compress nearly as much as some lawnmowers so you’ll still have to empty it quite a bit on a normal sized lawn.
The brochure says the unit is designed to withstand the test of time with a minimum level of maintenance, although I found this particular Flymo to fee a little flimsy but it’s often the case with the electric mowers which make a real effort to minimise the weight.
The cable is approximately 15 meters long which is a decent size, if you’ve had an electric mower before you’ll know whether your garden is suitable. If you haven’t just think for a while, if you’ve got lots of ornaments, shrubs and flower bed interspersed in your lawn are you going to manage pulling a cord along. It’s perfectly ok on many lawns where there aren’t many obstacles – but on some lawns using a corded mower is an absolute nightmare.
Inside the package, you get the Turbo Compact 330 unit (which is the mower in case you’re wondering), an instructional guide and a guarantee registration card. The instructional guide will help you set up the unit. It will also help you on how to properly use the product. It has the dos’ and don’ts so you will have an idea on how to take care of your unit. A one year warranty is already included with the product. It’s pretty easy to set up but as I mentioned it doesn’t exactly feel sturdy – despite this feeling it’s actually quite heavy compared to many electric lawnmowers even when hovering.
Now for the real test, how does it actually cut the grass? Well I tried the Flymo Turbo compact 330 on a relatives lawn – the grass hadn’t been cut for about two weeks in August so was quite long. It was perfectly dry though so it shouldn’t have been too bad, but I’m afraid it wasn’t a pleasant experience.
When I started using it all my remembered horrors of using Flymos in the 1980s came back, it doesn’t seem that they’ve improved much. My main problem (which is a fairly fundamental one) is that it doesn’t cut the grass well – because it’s quite heavy the hovering motion just seems to squash a lot of the grass rather than cut it.
I went over the lawn twice and there were big areas which just had squashed grass, it just lefts these clumps all over the lawn. It was fairly pointless going back over them as the more they got squashed the less likely the grass would be cut – I’m sorry but this is a big fundamental design flaw if the Flymo Turbo Compact 330 I used is typical. Maybe mine was faulty but it looked like more than that to me.
These mowers are pretty cheap but there are loads of better ones at similar price points. It’s honestly not worth saving a few quid getting a mower like this, it’s kind of depressing spending ages mowing a lawn then it not looking much better and the Turbo Compact 330 made a right mess of cutting my relatives lawn. It’s main selling point is cost but you’d expect a few years service out of even a cheap mower and this mower is just not that good at cutting grass – have a look what others think on the Amazon site – Opinions on 330
– I am not alone I think!
Do yourself a huge favor and spend a few pounds extra and get the much, much better mower here – I’ve had mine for four years and it cuts beautifully – it is frankly in a different league to this hover thing.
A green carpeted look in your yard gives splendor in the exterior of your house. It adds value to your landscaping. It refreshes your eyes as well. It is good that there are lawn mowers like Qualcast Panther 30 Hand Mower. It saves you both time and energy because it cuts with vigor and efficiency. It is light to handle and similarly to have around in your lawn. If you are at all concerned with the environment then using a manual lawnmower is a great way to reduce your energy consumption. These mowers have been developed for years and they are amongst the simplest and best lawnmowers you can buy.
There is of course the matter of fitness, how many times have you seen people using labor saving devices, things like driving to the gym down the road. Simply using a bit of ‘You’ energy to perform everyday tasks makes much more sense. Why not skip the odd work out and mow your lawn instead, it can be as vigorous as you want to make it, slowly pushing the Panther 30 Hand mower uses a little bit
Further, its solid rotating action slashes even the strong grass and weeds with a little bit of effort. It can cut through with its 30 cm width cutting edge. It contains 4 bladed cylinders that produce a clean cutting output.
Further, the side wheels can be easily pushed so you will not have any problem mowing your lawn from one side to the other side of your yard. It also has a spacious grass collection bin. Therefore, it could accommodate large quantities of grass and weeds.
There should be no problem moving your Panther 30 from one location to another because it is surprisingly light. Furthermore, light as it is, it is sturdy. Therefore, your Panther 30 comes in handy for difficult mowing. The Panther 30 Hand mower is not ideal for big lawn. It can accommodate smaller areas. It is of course much more economical compared to other lawn mowers. More so, it gives you a rudimentary stripe form for its finishing touches.
Unfortunately, there are occasions when the grass from the bin falls off. This is one issue that you will be dealing with the product. However, overall, it is a good value if you have a smaller area to mown.